The invention relates to a mounting unit for fastening a drawer or a sliding bottom into a furniture body.
Filed contemporaneously herewith are six United States patent applications, commonly assigned to Paul Hettich GmbH and Co.:
The claims, drawings and specification of each of the foregoing applications is hereby specifically incorporated by reference into this specification as if set forth verbatim herein.
German Patent Document DE 73 17 344 U1 shows a pull-out slide for drawers wherein a connection piece to connect to the drawer is provided on a slide rail. The connection piece engages in a wedge-shaped section on a side wall of the drawer so that the drawer is fixedly connected with the slide rail. This document shows the connection piece laterally connected on a rail of the pull-out slide. Because the construction of the connection piece and of the rail is asymmetrical, separate right and left connection pieces and rails must be produced. This results in high manufacturing and storage costs. Additionally, errors can easily occur during the mounting. In addition, the connection piece is adapted specifically to the rail, and cannot easily be used for different drawers.
German Patent Document DE 197 26 466 A1 shows a drawer connected via a profile rail with a slide rail of a pull-out slide. The profile rail has a hinge-type construction enabling the drawer side wall to be folded parallel to the drawer bottom. For this purpose, recesses are provided in the profile rail which extend in the longitudinal direction and at which the profile rail can be bent. This construction reduces the mechanical capacity of stress of the profile rail. In addition, the profile rail is specifically adapted to the respective side walls and the bottom, and therefore can not be easily used for drawers of different sizes. Also, because of a lack of symmetrical construction, this profile rail can be used only for right or left pull-out slides, which increases the manufacturing and mounting expenditures.
The present invention provides a mounting unit in which the components can at least partially be used with either right or left sides of pull-out slides. Furthermore, the mounting unit is adaptable to high mechanical stress and should be flexibly usable for drawers and bottoms of different sizes and constructions.
According to the invention, a mounting unit is provided for fastening a drawer on a pull-out slide formed of several rails which are displaceably disposed with respect to one another, which pull-out slide has several connection elements. Each connection element has an upper supporting edge which extends essentially horizontally, and which can be connected at least partially with an upper edge of an upper rail of the pull-out slide. Each connection element also has a downward extending center section, and a horizontally extending bottom section on which the sliding bottom is at least partially held. As a result, each connection element has an approximately Z-shaped section which enables a distribution of force along the two horizontal sections and the vertical section. In addition, the Z-shaped section can be used equally well for right or left pull-out slides. Alternatively, only one type of pull-out slide may be provided in this embodiment, right or left connection elements are fastened, so that the synergistic effects on the basis of a symmetrical construction are at least partially utilized.
Because the arrangement uses several connection elements on a rail of a pull-out slide, the length of the sliding bottom as well as the height of the drawer can be freely designed. The fastening arrangement can therefore be used universally for different types and sizes of drawers. The mounting unit can thus be modularly assembled.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the connection elements in the center section extend at least partially diagonally toward the horizontal bottom section. This ensures that the lower area of each connection element, which can be displaced with the sliding bottom, does not rub against a stationary lower rail of the pull-out slide, for example, in the event of lateral loading of the drawer.
The mounting unit can be produced at reasonable cost if the connection elements are manufactured from a bent metal sheet. This also ensures a sufficient stability for high mechanical stress.
A particularly stable support of the sliding bottom in lateral directions can be achieved if the intermediate section extends vertically adjacent to the bottom section in a lower area and a sliding bottom rests partially against the vertically extending area of the intermediate section.
If a vertically lateral section is connected with the upper rail of the pull-out slide, the connection element cannot be fastened exclusively to the horizontal supporting edge, which becomes difficult to access and is used as a sliding surface or for other purposes. Particularly when the connection element is riveted to the guide rail, the site of the rivet must be carefully selected; protruding rivets will obstruct running or sliding surfaces. Preferably an outward-stepped end section adjoins the lateral section, so that each connection element is essentially U-shaped. When a connection element is fastened laterally to a rail of the pull-out slide, protrusions remain at the fastening points. These protrusions may damage an adjoining side wall. However, when a stepped end section is provided, the side wall can rest on the stepped end so that clearance can be maintained between the protrusion and the side wall.
In another embodiment of the invention, two different types of connection elements are provided which are connected with a right or a left pull-out slide respectively. This permits the use of one type of pull-out slide for both sides of a drawer, which reduces the expenditures for the manufacturing, the storage and the mounting of the pull-out slides.
An attachment for fastening side wall elements is provided on each connection element so that the height of the drawer can be constructed corresponding to the attachment and additional fastening parts. The attachment may also be used for fastening a front plate or a rear wall so that the total number of fastening components will be reduced.
A particularly space-saving storage of a mounting unit with a sliding bottom will be achieved if each connection element has a pivoting part on the bottom section connectable with the sliding bottom. This permits a simple and fast mounting of a drawer.
If, in the case of a mounting unit, each pull-out slide has a lower rail which can be fixedly connected with a furniture body and which is constructed in its cross-section with respect to a horizontal plane symmetrically with the upper rail of the pull-out slide, the connection element on both sides of a pull-out slide can be applied to symmetrically opposite points.